1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to office furniture systems and more particularly to a hinged panel forming a part of the office furniture system. In one of its aspects, the invention relates to a hinged panel which is capable of being supported in an open position by a support stand which extends from the hinged panel to a lower panel or support surface forming part of the wall panel structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Office furniture systems such as that disclosed in Kelley, U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,255 typically utilize a number of wall panel structures having communication and power wiring disposed therein for purposes of providing power and telecommunications hookups at individual work stations within the overall office furniture system. It is well known in the art that easy access to these telecommunication and power cables is needed for maintenance purposes once the office furniture system is put in use.
An easy method of providing access to such telecommunication and power cables is to position the cables or wires behind a hinged panel (e.g., at waistline level) which is capable of being raised for gaining access to the wiring or cabling disposed behind the hinged panel. Such hinged panels are often placed a few feet above the floor for providing easy access to telecommunications and electrical cabling at a convenient height. For example, the Kelley patent discloses a movable panel (FIG. 5) having a hooked clip which engages a slot in the panel support structure and a spring clip which engages a retainer spring mounted to the wall support structure. The hooked clip is positioned near a bottom portion of the panel and the spring clip is positioned at an upper portion of the panel. The Kelley patent also discloses a wire management panel positioned near the bottom of the wall panel structure. This panel is shown in FIG. 4 of the Kelley patent and comprises a hinged cover 82 having an inwardly directed flange 86 and a downwardly-extending projection 86a which is snap-fit with a retainer 92 for holding the hinged cover 82 in place.
Tenser et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,577 discloses a wire management panel mounted to a steel frame of a wall panel support structure by clips extending downwardly beneath a lower portion of the panel, and by clips extending upwardly from an upper portion of the panel. The clips fit behind frame portions of the steel support structure. A sealing lip 32 extends between a lower portion of the wire management panel and the upper portion of a decorative panel disposed below the wire management panel. The sealing lip 32 provides a flexible closure, wherein a wire can pass between the wire management panel and the lower decorative wall panel. The Tenser et al. patent also discloses in FIGS. 8 and 10 a hinge 253 for securing the decorative panel 252 to an upper support member 254.
Propst et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,629 discloses a hingedly mounted wire cover 22 (FIG. 3) for a desk which includes a wire brush 40 having a plurality of bristles extending from the cover to the desk to permit wires to pass therethrough.
It is known to provide a panel hinged to a frame in a modular wall system wherein the hinges include springs to bias the panel to a closed position. However, it has become apparent that there is a need to occasionally hold a wire management cover panel (sometimes called a "tile") in an open position to facilitate access to the wire management system. Hinged panels of the prior art must be held open manually to gain such access. With this need in mind, the present inventor has discovered that such a hinged panel can be provided with structure to enable the panel to be retained in an open position without manually holding it.